Comparison

Tapling vs HobbyDex

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Tapling

This app adds a charming virtual companion to your keyboard's suggestion bar that taps along as you type. Earn cosmetic items for your companion by simply typing, with all progress saved locally on your device. Customize its appearance and choose a job that suits your typing style.

Highlights
  • Keyboard suggestion bar companion
  • Earn cosmetic items by typing
  • Customizable companion appearance
  • Typing-based job system
  • Privacy-focused, local data storage
  • Open source
Read full description

Tapling lives in your keyboard's suggestions bar and taps along as you type. Messages, notes, emails, and work all count. Every keystroke becomes a keycap you can use to unlock cute cosmetic items for your Tapling. If you enjoy cozy type-to-collect experiences like Bongo Cat on Steam, you'll feel right at home here. Type normally. Tapling doesn't ask for your attention. You earn keycaps simply by typing as you always do. All keys count, including backspaces and corrections. Tapling celebrates real typing, not perfect typing. Customize your Tapling with new furs, hats, and faces. Open cardboxes to discover items and build a style that feels like yours. All cosmetics are visual only, just small, gentle ways to give your Tapling personality. Give your Tapling a job that matches how you type: - Bongo Player stays steady for everyday writing - Chatter shines in quick bursts while messaging - Writer grows through longer, focused sessions Each job earns keycaps in its own cozy rhythm. A companion, not a commitment. No streaks to maintain or tasks waiting for you. Check in whenever you like. Tapling is simply happy whenever you are typing together. Privacy first. Tapling never reads what you type. It only counts keystrokes, and all data stays on your device. Tapling is open source, so you can verify our privacy promises yourself. Credits and appreciation. Tapling is inspired by the charm of the Bongo Cat meme by @StrayRogue and the cozy atmosphere of the Bongo Cat Steam game. This is an independent project made with respect for the original creators and community. Type as you always do. Tapling is just there to share the moment with you.

About

HobbyDex

This app transforms real-world hobbies into a personal adventure, allowing users to discover new interests, complete quests, earn experience points, and unlock evolutions. It helps turn curiosity into action by providing a structured way to explore, capture, and grow in various creative, active, and mindful pursuits.

Highlights
  • Discover and explore a wide range of hobbies
  • Capture hobbies with starter quests and training
  • Earn XP and unlock evolutions for captured hobbies
  • Build and manage a 'Field Team' of active hobbies
  • Connect with friends and view their hobby progress
  • Organize future interests with a Research Board
  • Receive AI-powered daily coaching insights
Features
Read full description

Discover new hobbies. Capture them. Level them up. HobbyDex turns real-world hobbies into a collectible personal adventure. Explore new interests, complete quests, earn XP through real practice, unlock evolutions, and build a Dex that reflects what you are trying, learning, and mastering. Whether you want a creative outlet, a weekend activity, a reason to move more, or something better than endless scrolling, HobbyDex helps you turn curiosity into action. EXPLORE HOBBIES Browse a growing Dex of hobbies across creative arts, active life, nature, home crafts, social play, mindful interests, and more. Find ideas that fit your time, energy, setting, and personality. Capture hobbies like drawing, baking, basketball, journaling, birdwatching, board games, yoga, photography, 3D printing, camping, and many more. CAPTURE WITH QUESTS Every hobby begins with a small starter quest that helps you move from "maybe someday" to "I tried it." Complete training quests to earn XP, build momentum, and make progress through real actions like practicing a skill, making something, planning a session, reflecting, or submitting simple proof of progress. BUILD YOUR FIELD TEAM Create a Field Team of up to five captured hobbies. Each hobby adds power based on its progress, so Field Team Strength is a clear measure of your collection. Your team appears across HobbyDex, including Home, Profile, hobby cards, leaderboards, and public profile cards. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS Add friends with a short friend code or straight from a profile. Once you connect, you can see each other's profile card and Field Team, even if you stay hidden on the leaderboard. SEE THE HOBBY FEED Open the Hobby Feed to see what players everywhere are capturing, completing, and evolving. Filter it to just your friends or hide anonymous players. Public players' profile cards and Field Teams open from the leaderboard. EVOLVE YOUR FAVORITES As you gain XP, captured hobbies evolve through multiple stages. Unlock hobby-specific titles, reach milestones, and turn casual interests into part of your identity. RELIVE YOUR JOURNEY Every captured hobby keeps a Journey: a timeline of your capture, completed quests, field notes, photos, and evolutions. HobbyDex builds it from what you already do in the app, so there is nothing extra to log. Open the Adventure Journey to see your whole collection's story in one place, from your first capture to your latest mastery. ORGANIZE WHAT'S NEXT Use the Research Board to save hobbies you are curious about and reorder them based on what you want to explore next. Plan future captures, prioritize interests, and keep your discovery journey organized. LEARN WITH YOUTUBE RECOMMENDATIONS Quests include helpful YouTube recommendations for guidance, inspiration, and visual learning when you need help taking the next step. GET DAILY AI INSIGHTS HobbyDex can generate daily AI-powered coaching cards based on your progress, interests, and Research Board. Get nudges for what to try next, which hobby deserves attention, and how to keep momentum going. STAY MOTIVATED Earn achievements, collect stars, unlock titles, follow weekly adventure paths, and track captured hobbies, mastered hobbies, quests, XP, titles, check-ins, and Field Team Strength. USE IT IN YOUR LANGUAGE Available in 7 languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Chinese, and Hindi. HobbyDex gives you structure without streak pressure. It is a quieter, more playful way to discover interests, try new things, and grow real-world skills at your own pace. Start your Dex today and find the next hobby worth capturing. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://hobby-dex.com/support.html Privacy Policy: https://hobby-dex.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Tapling4 screens
HobbyDex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HobbyDex at 5.0 against Tapling's 4.2. HobbyDex also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 73%). Tapling's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HobbyDex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Tapling asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HobbyDex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Tapling's written reviews are positive against 100% of HobbyDex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tapling ships an update every 3 months, HobbyDex every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Tapling versus HobbyDex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTaplingHobbyDex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (12 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1212
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB68 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBenno KohrsJorge Jimenez

Customer experience

Tapling

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral18.2%
Negative9.1%

HobbyDex

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tapling

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

HobbyDex

Subscriptions2
  • Pro (Monthly)$5.991 Month
  • Pro (Yearly)$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Tapling free?
Tapling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HobbyDex free?
HobbyDex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tapling or HobbyDex?
HobbyDex is rated higher. Tapling averages 4.2 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while HobbyDex averages 5.0 from 12 ratings.
Do Tapling or HobbyDex have ads?
Neither Tapling nor HobbyDex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tapling or HobbyDex?
Tapling ships an update every 3 months, and HobbyDex every 3 days. Most recently, Tapling was updated on September 15, 2026 and HobbyDex on September 10, 2026.

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